WO2010104487A1

WO2010104487A1 - Wave power module and the method it works

Info

Publication number: WO2010104487A1
Application number: PCT/UA2009/000071
Authority: WO
Inventors: Volodymyr Vovk
Original assignee: Volodymyr Vovk
Priority date: 2009-03-10
Filing date: 2009-12-30
Publication date: 2010-09-16

Abstract

Wave power module (1) is designed for utilization of energy of the orbital motion of water under the surface waves in the upper layers of the sea. It has a shape of a disk with sharp edges, has a positive buoyancy and is mounted horizontally in the required depth with the anchor ropes (2). Autonomous control system of the module provides the optimal conditions of its work, adjusting the depth of immersion. The module includes a flat carrier platform (3) with arrow-shaped edges (4) in the cross section, to which elastic membranes (5) are attached at its top and bottom. By means of polygonal folding bellows (7), the space between the platform and the membranes is divided into multiple cells (6) filled with the working fluid. The cells are connected via the check valves and the piping to the inlet and outlet branch pipes of the turbo¬ generators (19), located in the arrow-shaped edges of the platform. Orbital motion of water masses below and above the module directly affects the working fluid in the cells and forms sinusoidal contours similar to the contours of surface waves on its membranes. As the sinusoidal contours on the membranes move, the cells are compressed and expanded and drive the turbo-generators.

Description

Title of the I nvention

Wave Power Module and the Method it Works

Technical Field

The invention relates to the renewable sources power engineering and is intended for utilization of ocean waves' energy.

Background Art

There are known inventions aimed at utilization of waves' energy on the sea surface with flexible bags filled with air. For example, U.S. patents Nos.: 1 ,791 ,239;

4,164,383; 4,375,151 ; 4,441 ,030 and 4,675,536. These inventions use a common principle, the effect is that powerful sea waves compress air in the flexible bags and push it into a turbine electric generator through check valves.

The deficiency of these devices is their low efficiency. Large dead volume of compressible gas in the flexible bags and piping leads to idling compression and decreases the working pressure. Another shortcoming of these designs is their exposedness. Located on the sea surface, the devices are subjected to strikes of powerful waves. This creates danger of the construction's damage, which increases the capital costs.

A different known example is a device for utilization of sea waves' energy, which is designed for placing on the bottom near the shore, U.S. Pat. No. 3,353,787. The device contains flexible tubes fastened in the hard hollows at the bottom in parallel to the crest line of surface waves. Its flexible tubes are filled with incompressible working fluid and are connected to the fluid motors on the shore through the bilateral valves. The valves are intended for free passage of the working fluid from the hoses under higher pressure toward the fluid motors and slow passage of the fluid back in opposite direction to the hoses under lower pressure. Hydrostatic pressure of the waves on the surface affects the working fluid through the upper wall of the flexible tubes.

The disadvantage of this design is the lack of individual valves and piping for the return of working fluid form the fluid motors into the hoses. This reduces the filling capacity of the flexible pipes and thus effectiveness of the device. Significant length of the hoses leads to the loss of pressure in cases of irregular waves on the surface.

The pressure difference in adjacent tanks balances each other, and the pressure on the fluid motors reduces. Placing of fluid motors at a considerable distance from the flexible pipe increases the hydraulic resistance in the interconnecting piping.

The closest to the patented invention is the device for U.S. Pat. No. 3,989,951. It is designed for the use as a part of breakwater. It contains a set of cells at the bottom. The cells' upper wall are made of a flexible material, and they are filled with air and are connected with the inlet and outlet openings of one or more turbogenerators through the outlet and inlet check valves and supply and return pipes.

A disadvantage of this device is usage of air as the working agent, which is a highly compressible media; due to the idling compression of dead volumes, the operating pressure of the system reduces. Stationary placement at the bottom creates great difficulties in maintenance and repair of the equipment and increases operational cost of the device. This also subjects the device to harsh effects of surfs during storms, which increases the likelihood of breakages and increases capital expenses. Directed upward, the flexible walls of the cells take only variable static pressure of the surface waves, while the dynamic effects of waves near the shore are directed horizontally and are not received by the device. This reduces efficiency of the device.

Summary of I nvention

Surface waves are a manifestation of the orbital motion of large masses of water in the upper layers of the sea. Therefore placing the device on the surface or at the bottom for utilization of wave energy is equally ineffective. In the first case, on the boundary of liquid and gaseous media, the shock loads get out of control with the increase height of the waves. In the second case, on the boundary of liquid and solid phases, there is either lack of movement in large depth, or just bottom horizontal swinging of water occurs in small depth, which also destructively increases during storms.

The devices installed on the boundary of two media are attuned to obtaining power by one side only; in addition, the devices find themselves in an unstable zone of the everlasting struggle of two elements. So the most effective way of harvesting the energy is from the waves' mid-stream, while it is crucial to integrate into the natural phenomenon instead of introducing a doomed resistance making.

The aim of the invention is improving effectiveness of capturing of wave energy by providing secure and optimal operating conditions, reduction of hydraulic losses within the device and streamlining its external surfaces, by designing for simple manufacturability, reduction of material and production costs, and improving serviceability of the device.

This objective is achieved by the proposed device, the wave power module. It has a flat shape and is mounted horizontally in the upper layers of the sea in the area of orbital motion of water particles. It has positive buoyancy and is kept at the required depth using anchor ropes.

The module contains a flat carrier platform, whose cross-section edges are arrow- shaped. The flexible elastic membranes forming the upper and lower surfaces of the module are tightly attached to arrow-shaped edges of the platform. A coating of the flexible elastic membranes made of a material having a low coefficient of friction against water. Flexible elastic membranes separate module's working fluid from the surrounding sea water.

Moving along orbital paths, mass of water particles that surround the top and bottom of the module directly affect its working fluid through the flexible elastic membranes thus forming sinusoidal contours on the membranes similar to ones of the surface waves.

Thanks to the specified characteristics, the wave power module harmoniously fits into the picture of the orbital motion of water particles under the surface waves without breaking them. The pointed edges of the module and low friction against water of its flexible elastic membranes reduce the tangent resistance to the flow washing upon the module. This prevents turbulence, increases efficiency of the module and reduces its impact on the environment. Working fluid of the module takes energy from the base of the waves by almost its entire top and bottom surface.

The internal construction of the module is designed to ensure the absorption of this energy. Variable volume formed between the platform and the flexible elastic membranes is separated into multiple cells. The cells are made in a shape of polygonal bellows with combined folding walls.

A special feature of the folding bellows is that while extending and compressing along their heights, their width does not change. In doing so, the edges of the cells adjacent to the sealed flexible elastic membranes can bend under acute angles to the horizon along with tilting parts of the membranes.

Folding walls of the cells are enforced by making their flat parts rigid with flexible joints between them in the bending corners. This increases allowable pressure difference that the cells can withstand in the process.

Polygonal bellows forming the cells are combined with each other by only some of their tightly connected folding walls. The walls of the neighboring bellows, which are not combined, also form cells that evenly distributed among the other cells. This simplifies the design of the module, in addition the angles between the adjacent cells do not form closed pockets of variable volume.

The vertical ledges between the platform's flatness and its arrow-shaped edges have the same height as the cells in a fully compressed state. The cells adjacent to the ledges of the platform's arrow-shaped edges are truncated and have elongated folding walls at the cross-sectional points; the cut edges of the folding walls, being in compressed state, are tightly connected to the ledges' walls.

Tightly connected to the flatness of the platform and the flexible elastic membrane, folding barriers are fitted between the ledges of arrow-shaped edges of the platform and the folding walls of the outer cells. The construction of the folding barriers is similar to the construction the cells' walls. That is, the number, size, and structure of folds of the folding barriers match the number, size, and structure of folds of the cells' walls, and the folded barrier height is equal to the height of a compressed cell. One side of the folding barrier is combined with one of the folding walls of the outermost cell, and the other side, which is in a compressed state, connected with the ledge of the platform's arrow-shaped edge. The barrier's shape resembles a paper fan, one side of which is compressed and the other can expand. This allows to connect tightly the movable walls of the outer cells with the fixed ledges of arrow- shaped platform edges and to form additional cells of an arbitrary shape along the ledges of arrow-shaped edges.

The cells contain internal barriers fixed to the platform; they are made of grids or perforated sheets at a height of the cells in the compressed state. In the truncated cells and the cells of arbitrary shape, the internal barriers are directly connected to the walls of ledges of the platform's arrow-shaped edges. A barrier restricts the movement of a flexible elastic membrane inside a cell when an excessive external pressure fully compresses the cell.

The cells are filled with working fluid and connected to the supply and return piping via the outlet and inlet check valves. Incompressible liquid without gas inclusions with a density equal to or less than the density of the surrounding sea water is used as a working fluid. The use of an incompressible working fluid excludes power loss in useless compression of dead volumes of the gas, and the density of the working fluid equal to or less than the density of the surrounding sea water reduces the influence of the weight of the working fluid on the functioning of the module and makes it easier to ensure its positive buoyancy. The supply and return pipelines are laid alternately in the body of the platform between the upper and lower cells. They are directed from the middle of the platform to its periphery and connected to the closed-circuit pipelines of high and low pressure respectively located inside the edges of the platform. This reduces the average path length of the circulation of the working fluid and reduces the hydraulic losses.

The closed-circuit pipelines of high and low pressure are connected to each other through numerous turbo-generators uniformly placed in the edges of the platform. With this, the inlet branch pipes of the turbo-generators are connected to the high- pressure pipeline, and the outlet branch pipes are connected to the low-pressure pipeline. A uniform placement of turbo-generators in the arrow-shaped edges of the platform provides improved conditions for balancing of the module. Closed-circuit piping of high and low pressure provides identical working conditions for all turbogenerators.

The anchor ropes are coiled on the load drums of anchor winches mounted on the arrow-shaped edges of the platform. Along with the winches and turbogenerators, there are other equipment and machinery; in particular, rechargeable batteries, a charger and a contactor pack, a processor, sensors of depth and horizon, which all are located in the arrow-shaped edges of the platform. Some of the cells contain cell's range motion sensors.

The carrier platform of the module is made thin-walled of sheet material. The pipelines have a rectangular cross-section formed by the walls of the platform and sheet partitions between them. This design improves manufacturability and reduces the labor for its construction, amount of materials, and weight and enhances buoyancy of the module.

The machinery and equipment of the module are installed in the niches with their walls made of the sheet material. The niches are located in the arrow shaped edges of the platform, and have manholes for maintenance and repair of the equipment.

This facilitates the maintenance and repair of the module and reduces its overall cost of operation. Intervals between the niches and pipes are reinforced with stiffener plates of sheet material, and all voids filled with foamed polymeric hermetical sealant. The ribs provide strength and rigidity of the carrier platform at a minimum amount of the material. The filling of all voids with a foamed polymeric hermetical sealant also increases strength of the carrier platform; additionally it isolates the pipelines in the platform's body and provides positive buoyancy of the module due to the material's low density and large filling volume.

The supply and return pipelines have a cross-section that increases from the middle of the platform to its periphery. The expansion of the cross sections of the pipelines is directed toward increasing flow of the working fluid and reduces growth of its speed, thereby reducing the hydraulic losses.

The vertical ledges of the arrow-shaped platform edges join with the platform's flatness by bending around. Such round shape provides a smooth connection of supply and return pipelines with closed-circuit pipelines of high and low pressure, which reduces local hydraulic losses.

The cable-rope, which contains power cable and communication remote control cable, is secured at the edge of the platform. The cable-rope is lowered to the bottom and runs to the shore where the power cable connected to a power substation, and the cable of remote control is laid to the control center.

Volume of the working fluid equals to the sum of a fixed internal module's capacity and half of its variable capacity. The fixed capacity consists of volumes of the pipelines, turbo-generators, and volumes of cells in compressed state. The variable equals to the sum maximum capacities of the module cells working under conditions that provide calculated optimal diameters of the orbital motion of the surrounding water particles.

The wave power module can contain magneto-hydrodynamic generators instead of turbo-generators and electro-conductive liquid as a working fluid. This simplifies design of the module, excludes turbines and rotating parts from its mechanism, decreases internal hydraulic resistance, and increases efficiency by converting the working fluid's motion energy into electrical power directly.

In the process of its functioning, the wave power module interacts with surrounding water masses moving along orbital paths at both its top and bottom sides. Thus the orbital motion of the particles of surrounding water forms synchronously moving sinusoidal contours on the flexible elastic membranes above and below the module similar to the contours of the surface waves.

In accordance with the movement of the flexible elastic membranes, the cells change their height and volume. The compressing cells squeeze the working fluid through the outlet check valves and through the supply piping into the closed-circuit high pressure pipeline, from which it goes to the inlet branch pipes of the turbogenerators. The expanding cells suck in the working fluid through the inlet check valves and through the return piping from the closed-circuit low pressure pipeline where it comes from the outlet branch pipes of the turbo-generators.

The upper and lower cells located one above the other complement each other. If the upper one rises, its counterpart located below, is compressed, and vice versa. In the process, the working fluid flows from the lower cells into the upper ones and from the upper cells into the lower ones passing through the blades of the turbogenerators. This allows obtaining the wave motion energy of the water masses across the entire plane at the top and bottom of the module and continuous transfer of the energy to the turbo-generators. In the turbo-generators, wave's energy converted into electro-energy, which goes ashore to a power substation over a power cable.

The module receives energy equally from the motion of waves of different directions and does not require specific orientation in the direction of the waves' movement. Similarly, it receives the simultaneous effect of superposition of the divergent waves and the ones with different periods. The working fluid moving in turbo-generators forms a kind of flywheel rotating in the arrow-shaped edges of the platform. A gyroscopic effect of the flywheel increases stability of the module.

With increasing depth, the radii of the orbital motion of water particles reduce by the exponential dependence:

k*z r(z)=a*e [ 1 ] p. 47

where z - depth; a - wave amplitude, or radius of the orbital motion of water particles on the wave surface; e - the base of natural logarithms; k = 2ττ/λ - wave number; λ - length of the wave.

This relationship provides an opportunity to effectively regulate the operating conditions of the module to provide optimal conditions for its work under diverse sea surface state conditions.

For example, if an optimal range of movement of the module's cells is 1 meter, then when the surface waves are 60 meters long and 5 meters high, then the module needs to plunge to the depth of 15 meters in order for the diameter of the orbital movement of water particles stay equal to 1 meter.

For the same wave length and its height of 3 meters, the module will need to go down to the depth of 10.5 meters to reach the area with the same diameter of the orbital motion of water particles, equal to 1 meter. As the height of the waves decreases to 2 meters while their length remaining the same - the depth of immersion has to be 6.5 meters; and when the waves are 1.5 meters high - 4 meters deep respectively. Thus changing depth of the module's position allows selection of such a depth where parameters of orbital motion of the surrounding water particles are optimal for the module's characteristics.

The module's processor performs continuous monitoring of the sensors' readings of cells motion range, depth, and horizon. If cells' motion range reading approaches the upper limit of the optimal values, the processor sends a command to the anchor winches; they haul in the ropes and lower the module deeper.

If the range decreases and approaches the lower limit of the optimal values, on processor command, the anchor winches slack away the ropes, and the module moves up to a smaller depth.

Besides, the processor takes into account the readings of depth and horizon sensors and adjusts the control commands to uphold the module horizontally and to prevent its unnecessary surfacing or unacceptable immersion.

The processor transmits the information of the sensors' readings and the actions performed in an automatic mode to the operator in the control center by a communication remote control cable. The operator can switch the module to a remote manual control at any time.

Thus the system provides optimum conditions for the module, regardless of the conditions on the sea surface. In the event of storm waves, the module descends to a depth at which the diameter of the orbital motion of water particles meets specifications and does not hinder its work, and with decreasing waves' height it moves up.

In comparison with the known constructions, the invention has the following advantages:

Regardless of weather conditions, safety from shock loads that affect devices running on sea surface and seabed. High efficiency: large surface of contact and obtaining energy from wave's baseline under the optimal conditions.

The environmental acceptability: minimal ecological impact, environment friendliness, absence of perturbing effects, no harm to the flora and fauna.

The absence of interference with coastal navigation. Expedient quick descend to a depth for the passage of large vessels.

Mobility: it is easily transported, simple in installation and dismantling.

Autonomy: it is operated automatically, all its functions are controlled, it requires minimal maintenance.

Adaptability: it does not require an orientation in the particular direction of waves' movement, it accepts energy of the superposing waves of different directions and periods; it is mounted on deep water.

Simple design: it is factory assembled of the well-known components and materials.

Brief Description of Drawings

Figure 1 is a side view of the working wave power module;

Figure 2 is a top view of Figure 1 with the part sections;

Figure 3 is a sectional view along A - A in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a sectional view along B - B in Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a sectional view along C - C in Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a sectional view along D - D in Figure 2; Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the flow of the module's working fluid.

Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the wave power module control.

Best Mode for Carrying out the Invention

The wave power module 1 has a shape of a disk with pointed edges; it has positive buoyancy and is mounted horizontally in the water with the help of anchor ropes 2. It has a flat carrier platform 3 in its middle height part.

The edges 4 of the platform protrude around the module's perimeter and have an arrow-shaped profile in the cross-section. The flexible elastic membranes 5, made of rubber with a coating of a material with low friction against water, are hermetically attached to the arrow-shaped edges of the platform, on its top and bottom.

The space of variable volume between the platform and the membranes is divided into cells 6 using the hexagonal folding bellows 7, combined with each other by half of their folding walls. Combined folding walls 8 of each hexagonal bellows located alternately and tightly connected to each other being sewed and glued together, and those not combined 9 also form hexagonal cells 10. These cells are evenly distributed between the rest of the cells, and thus the angles between the neighboring cells do not form closed insulated chambers.

Flat elements of the cells' folding walls contain rigid carbon fiber reinforced plastic plates 11 , pasted between two layers of flexible rubber fabric 12. The places of bending are located between the plates and remain flexible. In the light of the fact that their strengths add up, thinner carbon fiber plates are used for the combined folding walls of the neighboring cells.

In the place of its adjacency to the platform, each cell contains two split disc check valves, the outlet check valve 13 and the inlet check valve 14. The supply 15 and return 16 pipelines are laid in the body of the platform between the upper and lower cells. They are directed from the middle of the platform to its periphery. At the same time, the supply and return pipes are located alternately to each other.

The closed ring pipeline of high pressure 17 and the closed ring pipeline of low pressure 18 are placed adjacently one above the other in the arrow-shaped edges of the platform.

The outlet check valves 13 of the cells connected to the supply piping 15, and the inlet check valves 14 of the cells connected to the return piping 16. The supply pipelines are connected to the ring pipeline of high pressure 17, and return pipelines are connected to the ring pipeline of low pressure 18.

The ring pipelines of high and low pressure are connected by eighteen straight- flow turbo-generators 19 set evenly inside the arrow-shaped edges of the platform. With this, the inlet branch pipes 20 of the turbo-generators are connected to the ring pipeline of high pressure 17 and the outlet branch pipes 21 of the turbo-generators connected to the ring pipeline of low pressure 18.

The vertical ledges 22 between the platform flatness and it's arrow-shaped edges 4 are of the height equal to the height of the cells in compressed state. The cells 23 adjacent to the ledges of the platform's arrow shaped edges are truncated and have elongated folding walls 24 at the cross-sectional points; the cut edges of the elongated folding walls, being in compressed state, are tightly connected to the ledges' walls.

Tightly connected to the flatness of the platform and the flexible elastic membrane, the folding barriers 25 are fitted between the ledges of arrow-shaped edges of the platform and the folding walls of the outer cells. These barriers divide the space along the ledges into extra cells of arbitrary shape 26, with one side of each folding barrier combined with one of the folding walls of the outermost cell, and the other side, being in a compressed state, connected to a wall of the ledge. The construction of folding barriers 25 is similar to the construction the cells' wall 9.

The cells 6, 10, 23, and 26 contain internal perforated barriers 27 of the cells' height in compressed state; the internal barriers are fixed on the platform. In the truncated cells 23 and the cells of arbitrary shape 26, the internal barriers are connected directly to the walls of the ledges 22 of the platform's arrow-shaped edges. Some cells contain the motion range reed contact switch sensors 28.

The interior of the cells 6, 10, 23, and 26, the supply 15 and return 16 piping, the ring pipelines of high 17 and low 18 pressure, and the turbo-generators 19 are filled with fresh water-based working fluid.

The anchor ropes 2 are secured and coiled on the load drums of three anchor winches 29 located in the edges of the platform every 120 degrees.

Along with the turbo-generators and winches, there are other equipment and machinery, in particular, the rechargeable batteries 30, the charger 31 , the contactor pack 32, the processor 33, the sensors of depth 34 and horizon 35.

The thin-walled carrier platform 3 made of sheet fiberglass plastic. The supply 15 and return 16 pipelines, and the ring pipelines of high 17 and low 18 pressure have a rectangular cross section and are formed by the walls 36 of the platform and the sheet fiberglass panel partitions 37. The internal perforated barriers 27 of the cells are also made of fiberglass.

The machinery and equipment are installed in the niches 38 made of sheet fiberglass and located in the edges of the platform with the manholes 39 for the maintenance and repair.

Gaps between the niches and pipes are reinforced with fiberglass stiffener plates 40, and the voids are filled with hardened polyurethane foam 41. The supply 15 and return 16 pipelines have a cross section expanding from the middle to the periphery of the platform.

The vertical ledges 22 of the arrow-shaped platform edges join with the platform's flatness by bending around 42 thus ensuring smooth connection of the supply 15 and return 16 pipelines with the ring pipelines of high 17 and low 18 pressure.

The cable-rope 43 is attached to the edge of the platform, lowered down to the bottom and extended to the shore. It contains the power cable and the remote control cable.

In the event of waves on the sea surface, orbital motion of the water mass directly affects the working fluid in the cells 6, 10, 23, and 26 through the flexible elastic membranes 5 at the top and bottom of the module. As the result, the flexible elastic membranes synchronously reproduce moving sinusoidal contours of the orbital motion of the masses of water at the top and bottom of the module similar to the contours of surface waves.

The cells, which are arranged one over the other at the top and bottom of the module, come into motion simultaneously. If the top cell expands and sucks in the working fluid from the return pipeline 16 through the inlet check valve 14, its counterpart cell located underneath compresses and squeezes the working fluid through the outlet check valve 13 to the supply piping 15.

While the sinusoid shaped water streams are passing the surface of the module, the cells exchange their functions: the upper cell begins to contract and the lower to grow. Accordingly, their valves exchange their functions with each other: in the upper cell, the inlet check valve closes, and the outlet check valve opens; in the bottom cell, its outlet check valve closes, and the inlet check valve opens.

The working fluid from the supply pipelines 15 enters the ring pipeline of high pressure 17 and comes into turbo-generators 19 through the inlet branch pipes 20; then the working fluid rotates the turbines' blades and moves into the low-pressure ring pipeline 18 through the outlet branch pipes 21 and, from there, it comes into the return pipelines 16.

Thanks to the work of multiple cells and constant exchange of the functions between them, the working fluid is continuously supplied to the turbo-generators. Matching number of cells above and below the module provides the same volume of working fluid supplied to the turbo-generators and coming back from it.

The energy of the surrounding sea water motion is transferred to the turbogenerators not only by compressing cells with high pressure at its outlet, but also by expanding cells with a low pressure at its inlet. Incompressible fresh water-based working fluid provides the pressure transfer without losses and idling compression.

As the waves on the surface pass the module, withdrawing of their energy occurs at the turbo-generators. Electricity produced by the turbo-generators is sent ashore by the power cable 43.

For autonomous power supply the mechanisms of the module use rechargeable batteries 30. They are kept charged with the help of the charger 31 fed by the power cable 43 of the turbo-generators.

The processor 33 carries out continuous monitoring of the depth 34, horizon 35 and the cells' range of motion sensors 28 readings. When cells' motion range reading approaches the upper limit of the optimal value, the processor originates a corresponding control command to the contactor pack 32; it provides power from the rechargeable batteries 30 to the anchor winches 29, and they haul in the ropes and lower the module to a deeper position.

If the cells' motion range decreases and approaches the lower limit of the optimal values, the processor sends another control command to the contactor pack, which turns on the anchor winches in the opposite direction, and they slack away ropes, which move the module to a smaller depth. Herewith, the processor takes into account sensors' readings of the depth and horizon and adjusts the control commands to maintain the module horizontally and to prevent its unnecessary or unacceptable surfacing or immersion. «

Through the remote control cable 43, the processor transmits information about readings of the sensors and automatically executed actions to an operator in the control center; the operator may switch the module to a manual control at any time.

Industrial Applicability

The invention can be applied at creation of power stations intended for obtaining of electric power from sea waves' energy in the marine areas with depths of more than 50 meters. According to the researches [2], these huge open spaces are most appropriate for creation of underwater power parks. They possess the greatest specific energy potential in comparison to other offshore zones; they are the least involved in human economic activities and are the least susceptible to ecological effects.

The use of independent modules for a complete set of power stations allows scaling up a gradually the aggregate capacity of the assemblies; this simplifies maintenance and repair of the equipment. Wave power modules can be industrially produced, towed afloat to the place of installation and sunken to a working position by means of anchor ropes. All materials, component parts, and technology used in manufacturing as well as the operation of the described wave power module are known and widely employed in contemporary industry.

References

[1] Kern E. Kenyon, Cyclostrophic Balance in Surface Gravity Waves, Journal of the Oceanographical Society of Japan, Vol. 47, pp.45 to 48, 1991 [2] Max Carcas, Harvesting Ocean Power: An International Perspective, Congressional briefings on "Pathways to Energy Security" 9th May 2007, p.19

Claims

1 Wave power module, located in the sea, containing a flat carrier platform and multiple working fluid-filled cells of variable volume; the cells are connected to the supply and the return pipelines by their outlet and inlet check valves; the supply and return pipelines are connected to the inlet and outlet openings of one or more turbo-generators mounted on the platform; the module is ch a ra cte rized in that it has positive buoyancy and is placed horizontally under water in upper layers of the sea with the help of anchor ropes; its platform has arrow-shaped edges in the cross- section; flexible elastic membranes are hermetically attached to the edges on the top and bottom of the platform; the cells are located between the platform and the flexible elastic membranes at the platform's top and bottom; the cells are made in the shape of polygonal bellows with combined folding walls; the vertical ledges between the platform flatness and its arrow-shaped edges have the same height as the cells in a fully compressed state; the cells contain internal barriers fixed to the platform and are made of grids or perforated sheets at the height of the cells in the compressed state; supply and return pipes arranged alternately and are located in the body of the platform between the upper and lower cells; they are directed from the middle of the platform to its periphery and connected to the closed-circuit pipelines of high and low pressure located inside the edges of the platform; the closed-circuit pipelines of high and low pressure are connected to the inlet and outlet branch pipes of numerous turbo-generators or magneto-hydrodynamic generators evenly distributed in the arrow-shaped edges of the platform; incompressible liquid without gas inclusions is used as a working fluid, which in the case of magneto-hydrodynamic generators also having electro-conductive qualities; at least some of the cells contain the cell's range motion sensors; a cable-rope containing a power and a remote control cables is attached to the platform's edge, and its other end lowered to the bottom and runs to the shore; upper ends of the anchor ropes secured and coiled on the load drums of the anchor winches placed on the platform; along with winches and generators, there are other equipment and machinery, in particular, rechargeable batteries, a charger, a contactor pack, a processor, and sensors of depth and horizon; its carrier platform made thin-walled of sheet material, the pipelines have a rectangular cross section and are formed by the walls of the platform and sheet material panel partitions; the machinery and equipment are installed in the niches, whose walls made of a sheet material, located at the arrow-shaped edges of the platform with the manholes for the maintenance and repair; gaps between the niches and pipes are reinforced with stiffener plates, and the voids are filled with foamed polymeric sealing material.

2 The wave power module, according to claim 1, characterized in that the polygonal bellows forming the cells are combined with each other by only some of their folding walls, and the walls of neighboring bellows, which are not combined, also form cells evenly distributed among the rest of the cells.

3 The wave power module, according to claim 1 , characterized in that the flat elements of the cells' folding walls are made rigid with flexible joints between them in the places of bending.

4 The wave power module, according to claim 1, characterized in that the supply and return pipelines have a cross section increasing from the middle toward periphery of the platform.

5 The wave power module, according to claim 1, characterized in that the vertical ledges of arrow-shaped platform edges join with the platform's flatness by bending around, thus ensuring smooth connection of the supply and return pipelines to the closed-circuit pipelines of high and low pressure.

6 The wave power module, according to claim 1 , characterized in that the cells adjacent to the ledges of the platform's arrow-shaped edges are truncated and have elongated folding walls in places of the section; the cut edges of these elongated folding walls, being in compressed state, are tightly connected to the ledges' walls.

7 The wave power module, according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the space between ledges of the arrow-shaped platform edges and outer walls of cells, the folding barriers similar in design to the folding cells' walls are placed; they divide the space along the ledges into cells of arbitrary shape, with one side of each barrier combined with one of the folding walls of the outer cell, and the other, being in a compressed state, is tightly connected to the ledge's wall.

8 The wave power module, according to claim 1 , characterized in that its flexible elastic membranes have a coating made of a material with low friction rate against water.

9 The wave power module, according to claim 1, characterized in that density of the working fluid is equal to or less than the density of the surrounding sea water.

10 The method the wave power module works, including an ability of its automatic autonomous and manual remote control, which is characterized in that, in automatic autonomous mode, the processor performs continuous monitoring of the sensors' readings of depth, horizon, and range of cells motion, which, in the case of the range of cells' motion sensors readings approaching the upper limit of the optimal values, gives the command to the anchor winches to haul in the ropes and lower the module to a dipper position, in the case the range reading decreases and approaches the lower limit of the optimal values, the anchor winches, on the processor command, slack away the ropes, and the module moves to a less deep position; the processor takes into account readings of the depth and horizon sensors and adjusts the control commands for the module to maintain its horizontal position and to prevent its unnecessary or unacceptable surfacing or immersion.